Incorporating Sustainability and Green Engineering into a Constrained Civil Engineering Curriculum
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 141, Issue 2
Abstract
Revised Bodies of Knowledge, constituent input, and student demand are motivating the incorporation of sustainability concepts in traditional engineering curricula. While a variety of methods are in development, ranging from introductory engineering courses to capstone experiences to graduate-level treatment, the addition of new topics in an already constrained curriculum is creating a dilemma for many engineering programs. This work presents an example of how sustainability concepts were incorporated in a traditional civil engineering program administered within a constrained four-year curriculum. Using a variety of the treatments recommended in the literature, United States Air Force Academy civil and environmental engineering students learn and apply sustainability concepts at multiple points and in various frameworks during their four-year programs. Student feedback coupled with learning assessments suggest this framework may provide a more generally applicable model for incorporating sustainability concepts within engineering curricula, with particular focus on the civil and environmental engineering disciplines.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the many students that have worked to improve the sustainability curriculum through their helpful feedback. In particular, Joseph Kallevig and David Pool played a significant role in the development of the early offerings of Civil Engineering 365. The authors are also indebted to the USAF Civil Engineering community and former faculty for their continued guidance and emphasis on sustainability.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 141 • Issue 2 • April 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 2, 2014
Accepted: Jun 17, 2014
Published online: Aug 5, 2014
Discussion open until: Jan 5, 2015
Published in print: Apr 1, 2015
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